A Woman Scorned
by GrowingPains
Summary: When he accepted the job he didn't expect there it be anything more than scouting a potential area for the company. What he got instead was a crumbling house with a haunting past. Character deaths.


**A Woman Scorned**

It's been said that the Holmes farm once thrived, filled with crops and healthy animals. One could have never guessed that the land, now ravaged by weeds and barren of crop and life, was once the talk of the town. The only thing left standing on the property was the rotting skeleton of a once beautiful house.

A man with a crisp suit and gelled dark blond hair moved around the property all the while a bitter wind blew past. It was quite odd, the young man thought, as his eyes raked the property. It was ten in the morning and the sweet light of the sun that had warmed his skin as he opened the gate was now nowhere to be found. He shivered and pulled at his sleeves as the wind bit at him. He only now regretted jumping at the chance to impress the boss with his willingness to take the long drive out to scout a property that the company had its eye on.

A sudden shift in volume made the young man jump and look wildly around. To the right of the house, where parts of the roof lay scattered was a woman with dark brown hair billowing around her. The temperature seemed to drop as she crept towards him, she had not seen him yet, too busy searching for something.

"Hamish! Elsie! Come now, you can't hide forever. Your father would have wanted us home hours ago," she bellowed, as she stood still surveying the area until her eyes found his and she gave a polite smile "Have you seen my young ones? They've gone and decided to run off and hide and I can't seem to find them anywhere".

"Sorry I haven't seen anyone, let alone some kids", spoke the man as he tensed while she narrowed her eyes at him and set her mouth in a firm line, searching for something in his eyes but when she found nothing she slowly started to smile and her eyes lost their threatening nature.

"That's quite alright, they are sneaky those lil' ones. I supposed with the hot weather and all they decided to take a quick dip in the pond before getting back to their chores. Anyway, if you do come across them would you tell them to come on home? They've got to help their pa bring the rest of the wood to the back to finish off the shed." With furrowed brows the young man slowly nodded his consent.

"Mama! Papa!", the scream echoed around the property causing the man's heart to drop to his stomach as he stared at the woman. He saw one side of her mouth lift, then she turned and walked hastily towards the scream. He made a move to follow the woman, but as he stepped forward she stopped and turned slowly causing him to freeze and swallow roughly as she gave him a chilled smile.

"Hamish has probably gone and scared his sister again, I'm sure they're fine, don't let my little rascals get in the way of your work, I'll take care of it no need to worry", she said as she took in his suit.

"Are you s-"

"Positive, go on about your business" without another word she left and disappeared behind the trees to the right of the property.

Feeling miffed and confused he slowly made his way back through the worn path towards his car and went to the inn where he was to spend the night. On the way back he noticed the endless stretch of the forest, with no sign of another house for miles.

The inn was located at the heart of town, and it seemed to be the most advanced area in town, he felt like he had stepped into an old western film with cowboys.

"I'll just be staying the night" he told what he supposed was the inn keeper, a tall lanky man with long brown hair with a white hair here and there.

"You're the one that's looking at the Holmes farm aren't cha?" A surprisingly rough voice came from the lanky man whose elbows sat on the chipped mahogany counter, leaning forward.

"Yes, I suppose that would be me-"

"You shouldn't be hanging around that place, it's nothing but bad news." Whispered the man as he leaned closer to him and whispered as if it was forbidden to even speak of.

"What do you mean? How so?" The lanky man straightened and refused to answer his questions.

That night the man twisted and turned in bed unsatisfied with the way things turned out earlier, the first, how he left things with the woman or rather how he had basically ran away even after hearing a screaming child, the second, his curiosity over his unanswered questions. It was late or early rather, when he was finally able to calm his mind for a much-needed rest.

The next day he walked to the local library, it seemed people didn't come often, the few shelves there were lined with dust. When the librarian, an old lady seemingly ready for retirement, caught sight of him her once neutral expression disappeared and in its place bright eyes and a wide smile. Just as fast as her excited expression appeared it faded just as quickly when the topic of the Holmes farm came up. The young man was slowly led towards a shelf which contained newspaper articles, and with astonishing speed the librarian left.

It took hours to go through all the articles until he found the ones pertaining to his topic, and once he did his blood ran cold. He held a picture of a newly settled family, two parents and a little girl and boy all smiling at the camera while a figure of a dark-haired woman stood in the background glaring at the mother. **"Nanny Convicted for the murder of the Holmes Family"**.

" He loved me, I know he did. Why didn't he just come with me? We could have been together. If he had just left with me, they would be okay. I would have raised them as if they were my own. I loved them. We could have been together forever, as a family." A shiver ran through his body as he heard a soft resigned voice say from behind him. He slowly turned his head towards the woman and stared with wide eyes, his body betrayed him as his knees buckled and he lurched forward into the darkness and into the specter's past.

_"You can leave her. She's nothing, worthless, she doesn't count, I love you, I can take care of you" she smiled with wide eyes staring at the man with curly black hair who she had fallen for over the years as she worked for the family._

_His face once calm contorted, his nostrils flaring and eyes became slits. He spoke in a loud and unmoving voice "How dare you say such a thing! You disrespectful little twit! I turned a blind eye to your advances, hoping you'd get over whatever it is that was causing you to act in such a disgusting manner and you've thrown it all back in my face. I love my wife and a nanny isn't going to change that. I want you gone by the time I get back." _

_He left without another word. She clenched her fists tightly by her side and closed her eyes, her whole demeanor changed as she unclenched her hands and her mouth lifted up. " He loves me, with her gone he will finally be able to see that"_

_It was easy starting the fire, it was as simple as turning on the gas from the oven and throwing a lit match through the open window in the kitchen. She smiled as she watched the house slowly start to burn and a shrill scream filled the air along with the flames, the sleeping woman in the bedroom didn't know what was happening until the first floor was up in flames. Her smiled faded and a look of horror replaced it as she saw the love of her life run into the burning building yelling his wife's name._

_"Mama! Papa!" It was his fault, if he had just left with her this wouldn't have happened. She stared at the children that stood crying and screaming at the edge of the property staring horrified at their burning house which held their whole world. She tilted her head and gazed at them, they were a combination of their parents, proof of their love for one another._

_It was getting hotter now and as their nanny she felt obligated to ensure their well-being by keeping them from the heat... the pond at the back seemed the perfect place; nice, cool, and deep._


End file.
